1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus and a mobile radiotelephone connecting system, and more particularly to a mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus which has a low-power radio communication function for performing radio communication with low power or an optical communication function for performing communication using light and a connecting function to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and is used in combination with a mobile radiotelephone set having the low-power radio communication function or the optical communication function to realize mobile radiotelephone conversation using a network such as a LAN and a mobile radiotelephone connecting system which includes a plurality of groups each including a mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus and a mobile radiotelephone set and uses a network such as a LAN as a path.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a technique has been proposed which uses a low-power radio communication function or an optical communication function provided for a mobile radiotelephone set to establish a connection to a fixed circuit-telephone line. This is intended to utilize a less expensive circuit such as a fixed circuit telephone line while maintaining environments of use such that a telephone call can be originated at any place by making use of an address list in which mobile radiotelephone sets are registered.
Further, in companies or the like, use of a mobile radio type private telephone set such as a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) as a local telephone set has been and is increasing. However, in order to utilize a PHS, local equipment for exclusive use for the PHS is required.
Meanwhile, as a conventional connecting method for such a fixed circuit telephone line as described above, a proposal has been made wherein the Bluetooth is used to establish a connection to a fixed circuit telephone line (by Ericsson and so forth).
Meanwhile, such a local telephone set as described above is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 289339/1996 entitled “Local Telephone Service Providing Method and Apparatus” or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 009334/1997 entitled “Exchange Apparatus for the PHS”.
However, the conventional techniques described above have the following problems.
If it is intended to realize local telephone conversation with a special telephone set (mobile radiotelephone set) such as a PHS using a LAN (Local Area Network) without using PHS local telephone equipment, then a mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus to the LAN must be able to operate immediately. In other words, communication through the LAN must always be kept established. The reason is that, while it is required, in an application of a telephone set, that telephone conversation can be performed immediately after a telephone call is originated, if a connection to the LAN is established after a telephone call is originated, then the time for validation such as connection authentication deteriorates the convenience. Not only when a connection is established to a destination mobile radiotelephone set through the LAN and a mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus, but also when a telephone call is originated from another mobile radiotelephone set through the LAN, the mobile radiotelephone connecting apparatus must always be prepared for utilization.